Immaculate, A Review

Deliver us from Evil.

SPOILER WARNING READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!

Immaculate follows Sister Cecilia (Sydney Sweeney, Anyone But You), a young Novice who travels to Italy to join a convent after her local church shuts down, having turned to religion at a young age due to a near death experience. Still searching for her true purpose and calling Cecilia has mixed feelings when she mysteriously falls pregnant, soon deemed an act of God by her fellow nuns and Father Tedeschi (Álvaro Morte). As her pregnancy then progresses strange things begin occurring and Cecelia becomes convinced that her baby is anything but holy. With time running out can Cecelia escape the convent’s grasp and escape before she gives birth or does God have something far more sinister in mind for her?

I won’t lie I wasn’t actually planning on watching this film at first, religious horror isn’t necessarily my thing (more on that later) and I hadn’t really been blown away by any of the trailers or other promotional materials. What changed my mind was Sydney Sweeney herself and her real passion for this project, so much so that she fought to get it made and held onto the script for many years before then producing the entire thing herself. That’s what I call a Girl Boss. This fact alone really intrigued me and I wanted to see what about the story made Sweeney so passionate about this project, I really like it when actors care so much about their work, it makes the project feel even more special.

Like I said above the religious horror subgenre isn’t one I’m all too familiar with, although I will say I loved reading My Best Friend’s Exorcism earlier this year, and so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from this film. I knew from trailers we’d be dealing with a pregnant nun but apart from that I was going in pretty much blind. On the whole I really did enjoy this film and I loved the pregnancy storyline and how it mirrored the classic Rosemary’s Baby. The growing sense of unease paired with the religious setting and themes throughout were nicely done and I just loved this film’s atmosphere, Sweeney really knocked it out of the park here.

I really loved how this film completely isolated Cecelia from the rest of the world, both physically and mentally, really adding to the overall tension throughout. Obviously being trapped in the convent with no access to any modern medicine or Doctors began to take its toll but what I really loved was how the film used the religious aspects to isolate her even further. Obviously I mean no disrespect to the Christian faith or any religious beliefs in general but it was this blind faith here that really trapped the characters here because they never really questioned what was going on and instead put all of their stock into everything being part of ‘God’s plan’. Despite the obvious horrors and growing unease, Cecelia continued to believe that this was all part of her path and calling and even when things got murky everybody else around her refused to open their eyes and see what was in front of them. I loved how religion was used in such a way here, justifying the evil with this faceless man in the sky, it was all very clever and not too far from some modern evils and the ways they are also ignored in favour of faith…

Immaculate’s ending was completely on another level and the last five minutes or so really elevated this already great film into something truly special. For starters that long shot as Sweeney gave birth, gradually zooming in on her screaming face was brilliant and I have to give props to her for doing it all in one take. To then see her kill the baby with a giant rock was completely shocking and not what I was expecting at all. Usually in these demonic child type films the entities so to speak are spared because they are technically still young, defenceless children but here Cecelia went fully in and killed her spawn before it could do any harm, it was shockingly dark.

Overall Immaculate was absolutely brilliant and I’m so glad I decided to watch after some slight hesitation. The religious themes and isolated setting worked hand in hand in such a unsettling way and I loved the growing sense of unease throughout. The storyline with the pregnancy and sinister reveals throughout were nicely done and I really loved the quick pace of this film. I can definitely see why Sweeney fought so hard for Immaculate to be made and I’m so glad that she did, what a brilliant film.

Very Bad People, A Review

Revenge is a Dangerous Game.

SPOILER WARNING READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

I Killed Zoe Spanos Review.

Very Bad People follows Calliope Bolan, a young girl who moves away from home to attend The Tipton Academy after spending most of her childhood in a tiny town where everybody knew everyone’s business. Calliope is also feeling a somewhat recent family tragedy after her Mother was killed in a drowning incident when she drove straight into a lake with her three daughters still in the backseat. Despite excessive police investigation there has never been any official closure on Kathleen’s death and the general consensus is suicide.

Kathleen however had her own connections to Tipton and after Calliope is pegged to join the very same secret society her Mother was once part of she begins to realise that there is more to the story than she’d initially thought. Now officially a ‘ghost’ and part of the Haunt and Rail society, Calliope has access to past secrets and records. Digging a little deeper into the past Calliope hopes to finally close the lid on the Bolan family tragedy, but will she like what she finds?

After absolutely loving I Killed Zoe Spanos last year I was so excited to return to Frick’s writing and dive right into this one. I will say straight off the bat that I did have some issues with the storyline here (which I will discuss below) but I still really enjoyed the overall vibe and academic location. I’m always a sucker for a good boarding school/college based thriller (Where Sleeping Girls Lie, The It Girl) and The Tipton Academy was brilliantly used. The multiple locations explored, day to day class life and of the course the secret society were all really fun and despite some of my issues I definitely still enjoyed the environment here.

I hate to say this but the Haunt and Rail as a secret society were kind of… lame? The ghosts were built up to be this mysterious group that had been active in the college for years and years but when we actually got to see them operate they basically acted like a student council? The group’s ‘top secret missions’ basically consisted of campaigning for better student/staff rights and whilst this is obviously important it’s hardly something you have to meet up in secret to do. The group seemed to take themselves so seriously, meeting up at night and sending coded messages but when you actually got down to it they were a glorified student council at most, it was a little bit silly.

The main mystery here was also a bit of a let down and lacked a lot of the promise and intrigue that I thought it would. Again, don’t get me wrong it was an interesting storyline and I liked following Calliope as she investigated her Mother’s death but so many of the clues along the way turned out to be complete red herrings and the supposed evil society had absolutely nothing to do with any of it. It might just be because I overestimated things here but I was fully expecting a conspiracy with The Haunt and Rail and Kathleen’s murder but the two ended up being completely separate and so much of the build up felt like it was all for nothing? What’s more we only got into the actual murdery parts of the story in the last 50 pages and then that was left completely open ended as well, I was really expecting something else here.

Overall this book wasn’t what I was expecting at all and it might just be on me for overestimating the storyline but for me this book was not in. The main mystery of Kathleen’s murder seemed to fly under the radar, the so called secret society just felt a little too tame and even when we did get into the darker stuff it all left on a massive cliffhanger. I really loved I Killed Zoe Spanos last year but I’m afraid this book wasn’t at the same level for me and I was definitely expecting something else entirely.

Ted, A Review

Going back to where it all went wrong.

The TV prequel to Ted follows the titular bear (Seth MacFarlane) and owner John (Max Burkholder) as we explore their lives in the 90s as John grows up and enters his Junior year of High School. Life with a teddy bear best friend was never going to be easy but throw girls, drugs and sex into the mix and you get one hell of a teenage experience. Life at home isn’t much easier either and between his clueless parents Matty (Scott Grimes) and Susan (Alanna Ubach, The Flight Attendant) and the arrival of his socially conscience cousin Blaire (Giorgia Whigham) there seems to be constant argument and upheaval at home, often egged on by a very amused bear. With so much still left to experience before he hits adulthood can John and Ted make it through the next few years together or will school bullies, clueless adults and a severe lack of intimacy stunt their growth and leave them seriously lacking in the sexual department?

Just for context I have never watched a Ted film in my life and only really knew about the bear from social media and seeing the occasion clip from the two films (some I found funny and some I did not). The series however I admit intrigued me and so many people seemed to be praising it online, both fans and non-fans of the films alike. This surge in popularity and the prequel aspect really made me eager to jump in and I have to say I completely loved it, the humour was brilliant and I’m even tempted to give the films a go, I just wonder how the two compare?

The humour here was really top notch and I loved how the jokes didn’t shy away from any ‘sensitive’ areas, instead fully going there and often even further in some absolutely hilarious ways. Despite the 12 year gap between the first film and now and the recent watering down of certain types of humour the jokes here never backed down and honestly I was expecting a much tamer version of the bear especially as he was airing on 2024 television. Instead the jokes remain as funny as ever as so many moments had be laughing out loud throughout, from Ted’s general personality, John’s extreme imagination and Blaire, Matty and Susan’s constant sparring, Ted hit the comedy from every single angle.

The dynamic between the Bennett family was brilliantly done here and I loved the generational gap between Matty and Susan and John and Blaire, often resulting in some hilarious verbal sparring that really charged each episode forward. For the most part each episode’s conflict was brought on by an argument between Matty and Blaire and I did like how the show managed to be funny but also showcase the changes in political views (even in the 90s) and how times are constantly changing. Matty’s lack of PC attitudes and Blaire’s complete disgust resulted in some brilliant verbal sparring often spurred on by Ted or a confused Susan. The Bennetts and their familial dynamic completely made this series and I just loved the five of them together so much.

Overall I really enjoyed this show and despite never having seen the films really loved the characters and humour throughout. The outlandish jokes and Bennett family dynamic were both brilliant here and I loved how far the jokes would often go to get a laugh, Ted remains a largely outrageous character. This show definitely surprised me with how much I ended up enjoying it and I already can’t wait for the already announced season two!

The Fury, A Review

There were seven of us on the island. One of us was a murderer…

The Silent Patient Review. The Maidens Review.

The Fury follows Elliot Chase, a mildly successful writer whose friendship with award winning actress Lana Farrar occupies most of his time, with Elliot worshipping Lana to the point of obsession. The pair are also close with fellow actress Kate and decide to take a trip to their frequented island vacation home alongside Lana’s husband Jason and son Leo for a few days of relaxation. Tensions however are running high due to the recent discovery of Jason and Kate’s affair as well as the group’s general dislike of Elliot and Leo’s sudden desire to also become an actor. A few days into the trip a body is then found and among these supposed friends a killer lurks in wait. Narrated by Elliot throughout can the group get to the bottom of things without turning on each other or is this one murder mystery too complex for even the sharpest of readers?

The Fury had a very interesting style of narration and I liked how Elliot directly spoke to the reader and freely admitted his bias when it came to retelling the events of the murder. As a character within the story he was telling Elliot had his own stakes and personal feelings and I liked how he jumped around from events, inserting information where he saw necessary and then keeping things back until the ‘right’ moment. This was very much an unreliable narrator but not in the usual way and it was a really interesting way to tell a story, especially a murder mystery. The whole thing was engineered from Elliot’s POV and Michaelides really used that to distract and trick the readers, it was a really fresh take on a beloved genre.

Elliot himself was an absolutely detestable character and his complete lack of awareness towards his own personality and those around him really added to the book’s overall themes. Like I said above the style of narration here added to the book’s unique factor and Elliot’s complete mental block really added to the running tension between the characters. I think everybody has had a friend like Elliot (or unfortunately you might be the Elliot in the situation) where you have this notion that everybody loves you when in fact the complete opposite is true and Michaelides played it perfectly. Elliot’s obsession with Lana and his notions of fame and stardom turned out to be his downfall and honestly everything that happened to him afterwards was completely deserved, I’ve never rooted so hard against a character than I have done Elliot.

I really enjoyed the progression of the actual murder mystery element and how it played around with perception and the unreliable narrator aspect. I think initially this book had a very basic setup with the seven characters on the island, all in different locations when the gun went off and all with their own motives to kill. From here though we got some nice twists and I liked the double deception and how everything was engineered like a play or story. I will admit in the book’s first half I was a bit concerned that the mystery element would let this book down but Michaelides definitely came through with one hell of a twist.

I really like how Michaelides includes these running themes of Greek Mythology within his own work and how we even see characters from his past novels pop in and make these cameo type appearances. Here we saw Mariana from The Maidens as Elliot’s therapist as well as some mentions from The Silent Patient’s Theo, it’s nice how it’s all connected. I like when books have these almost calling cards in their writing to make them stand out and here Michaelides’ passion for all things Greek as well as his shared book universe is a really nice added touch for long time readers.

Overall The Fury made for a really enjoyable read and I loved how Michaelides played around with the unreliable narrator trope and used the character of Elliot in such a way. The mystery here was executed brilliantly and The Fury was able to go from basic crime setup to complex tale of revenge and more in matter of pages. I continue to love Michaelides and his style of writing and I can’t wait to see what he comes out with next, I’m sure it’s going to be brilliant.

Girls5eva- Season 3, A Review

Their show must go on

Seasons 1 2 Review.

The third season of Girls5eva follows the girl band now on tour as they journey across America and perform in various different states, working their way towards a Radio City Music Hall performance on Thanksgiving Day. The long hours however begin to take a tole and problems arise, threatening the group’s harmony especially as ticket sales begin to dwindle. Dawn (Sara Bareilles) begins to worry that their old songs are sending out the wrong messages whilst also trying to stay on top of the constantly moving tour whereas Gloria (Paula Pell, Wine Country) tries to keep it chill after breaking up with ex Caroline, instead working through a mass list of various lesbian types to sleep with while on the road.

Summer (Busy Phillips, Mean Girls) tries to find the real her after realising all of her personalities have always reflected the men she’s been with and Wickie (Renée Elise Goldsberry, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) reconnects with her parents whilst also struggling to remain number one in an ever changing pop world. With New York getting closer and closer can the girls sell the tickets they need and sing their best show yet or will their fleeting flame be over yet again as they come to realise they are no longer relevant?

Now three seasons in I continue to love this show and I’m so glad that Netflix picked it back up after its cancellation over at Peacock. I just love the concept of this once famous 90s girl band coming back together in the modern day and trying to recapture their former glory, its both hilarious and inspiring all at the same time. The comedy here continues to be brilliant and I love how Girls5eva has such a specific style of humour, I’ve really come to love the various running gags and commentary on social media and the pop industry, it’s very funny in an almost self-deprecating way. I also love the chemistry between the main four girls, three seasons in and the show never fails to make me laugh with its bizarre take on the pop industry and fame in general.

I really enjoyed the tour set up this season and how we got each episode in a different state and location, really following the group as they travelled across the country. With each new location came a whole new set of hilarious characters and circumstances and I especially loved visiting Wickie’s childhood home and learning the ‘truth’ or her upbringing, it was hilarious in the very best of ways. We also got to see the group at their highest fame level (which granted still wasn’t very high) and I enjoyed seeing the numerous fan reactions they got along the way, both bad and good. Season three really elevated the game here and I loved touring with the girls so to speak and really getting to follow them on their next step of the journey.

Overall this third season of Girls5eva was just as fabulous as always and I continue to love following this show and the hijinks that follow. The humour here continues to be top notch and I love the running commentary on pop culture, fame and of course everything that comes with being a star. The comedy here is brilliantly done and I just love the concept of the Girls making a comeback after all of these years, I really hope we get a season four!

Will Trent- Season 2, A Review

Crime solving suits him.

Will Trent Season 1 Review.

The second season of Will Trent continues to follow its titular character (Ramón Rodríguez) as he works as a GBI agent, tackling the particularly gruesome crime cases across America alongside Partner Faith (Iantha Richardson) and boss Amanda (Sonja Sohn). This season sees Will and Faith investigating a serial car bomber, a ransom demand at a wedding and even a shooting at a drag club. We also see Will tracking down the family from his recently discovered Mother’s side and reuniting with his Uncle Antonia (John Ortiz) whilst also dealing with some previously forgotten trauma from his past. Faith on the other hand reconnects with an old flame whereas Ormewood (Jake McLaughlin) struggles with impending divorce and Angie (Erika Jane Christensen) re-joins the force after last season whilst also keeping tracks on Crystal (Chapel Oaks), the girl she rescued from an abusive Father.

I’ve really enjoyed diving into the world of Will Trent after watching the first series last year and so it was nice to return to the show and see all of the characters again. I absolutely love the original books and have definitely read more into the series since last year (more on that later) and so it’s nice to see it all brought to life on screen in this police procedural format. I like how each episode follows a new and exciting case, some adapted straight from the books and some not, and how we get to explore various levels of crime through Will, Faith, Angie and Ormewood. I’ll admit the show still needs to fix its pacing because 40 minutes is not enough time to investigate two separate cases but on the whole I enjoy this adaptation and can’t wait to see what happens next in season three.

Since finishing season one I have read a lot more from the Will Trent book series and adaptation wise the show actually changes a lot, I do however thing that this is a good thing. Whilst the books remain pretty dark throughout the series puts a slight comedic spin on things to I think maintain that TV police procedural balance. The biggest change however is the characters, particularly that of Angie and Ormewood, who must be said are a lot less likeable in the books. Book Angie and Ormewood are a lot less pleasant than their TV counterparts (especially with Ormewood in Triptych, Oh My God) and I do on the whole like how the series bonds the main four a lot more and has them work together as both friends and co-workers. Angie and Will also have a much more pleasant relationship, whether platonic or romantic, and I do really enjoy the chemistry between Rodríguez and Christensen. The show has already hinted as bringing major character Sara Linton into season three (I really hope so I love Sara) and so I’m really interested to see how she will be inserted into the already established dynamic and what her relationship would be like with Will this time around.

Season two really saw Will examining his own trauma whilst also trying to track down his previously unknown family members, allowing for some real emotional scenes here mixed in with the regular crime solving. Like I said above the show does tend to put a slightly lighter spin on things than the books but I like how we still see Will struggling and recognising the issues from his past, this time around recapturing some old memories and being able to look back with a more adult mindset. We also see him connecting with Uncle Antonio and the rest of the family on his Mother’s side and it is really nice to see Will happy for once because he is a pretty tragic character both in childhood and now.

Overall I enjoyed this second season of Will Trent and continue to love the characters and the world both here and in the novel series. Season two continued to be brilliant and I loved the mix of police procedural, comedic moments and insight into Will’s past as well as the exploration of his future. I’m really happy we’re getting a third season and definitely hope we see more from the books, most specifically Sara Linton. Whatever happens though I’m sure it’ll be amazing and I can’t wait to see what crimes Will and Faith tackle next.

The Strangers: Chapter 1, A Review

They don’t need a reason.

SPOILER WARNING READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

The Strangers Chapter 1 follows couple Maya (Madelaine Petsch, Riverdale) and Ryan (Froy Gutierrez, Cruel Summer) who are travelling across the country to celebrate their five year anniversary. Stopping over in small town Venus for a bite to eat the pair then run into car trouble and are forced to spend the night in a local Airbnb. Upon arriving however the couple are then terrorised by the Strangers, turning this once happy occasion into a fight for survival. Can Maya and Ryan make it until morning and escape with their lives intact or will Scarecrow, Dollface and Pin-up Girl have their way once more and add yet another long-suffering couple to their hit list?

As a series I really do love The Strangers films and it’s probably one of my favourite horror franchise outside of the more mainstream bigger ones (eg Scream, Halloween, Chucky etc). The two films we’d seen before this were both brilliantly done and I really love the more lowkey and very realistic approach to scares. I think the main draw of the series is that everything that happens is perfectly feasible, especially since the first film is based on a true story (not 100% sure if the second one is as well?) People breaking into your home and trying to harm you is such a universal thing and I’ve always loved how these films take that concept and really run with it.

Despite my initial excitement for this film and the new trilogy as a whole it does all feel a bit samey, especially when compared to the original 2008 film, and really nothing new or exciting has been added here. The original Strangers was brilliantly done and the perfect level of creepy and dangerous and then the sequel Prey at Night elevated this further by turning up the camp and playing homage to the classic slasher genre, resulting in two very different but equally iconic films. Here the storyline is nearly identical to the original but less impactful because we have seen it all before and therefore the weakest entry in the franchise by far. Granted this is only part one and so things could change and develop in the next two instalments but I do hope the films do something a little bit different because I don’t want to just watch the same exact film three times over.

Each of the three Strangers films had now had a pretty different location and vibe and I liked how Chapter One made use of the cabin in the woods feel and creepy small town aesthetic. Stopping off in this middle of nowhere location, Maya and Ryan are soon met with hostility (especially towards Maya’s vegetarianism which was a weird running gag…) and then left to fend for themselves in this massively closed off area. Say what you want about the writing here but I enjoy this closed off vibe and the added scare of the iconic trio, I think regardless of the actual storyline I am always going to find them that little bit terrifying. I’m also unsure if the townsfolk themselves were meant to be the Strangers? Their disguises were slightly more covered up than usual so I don’t know if we’re heading towards them actually being from the town or not? Either way I’m sure all will be revealed in the next two instalments…

This was obviously the first part in a planned out trilogy, with chapter two releasing later this year and chapter three early next year, something I do have mixed feelings about having now watched part one. Whilst I love the idea of so little time between each new instalment (other movie directors should seriously take notes) I do wonder what’s going to happen next? For one thing I really wasn’t expecting Ryan to die, especially so early on because I did assume we’d be following the couple through all three films. I do also wonder where the story is going next because I can’t imagine Maya is going to want to stick around? Chapter two could take place in the hospital I suppose (which could be cool) but I just can’t see the three titular strangers following this girl across the country, it doesn’t really seem their style? Obviously I’m going to tune in and see what happens but I also hope the films don’t stray too far from their original setups because this is such an iconic franchise and I don’t want to see it ruined.

Overall this most recent iteration in The Strangers franchise was a bit of a mixed bag watch and despite my love for the series this is definitely the weakest storyline so far. Don’t get me wrong I love these films and the very real feeling scares but Chapter One added nothing new or original and in many ways it felt like a direct copy of the original. I am interested to see where the storyline goes next across the next two instalments (although I am surprised Ryan was killed off so early) so I will still be watching but I hope Chapters Two and Three and a vast improvement over what we got here.

AHS Delicate, A Book and TV Review

Her body is no longer her own…

SPOILER WARNING FOR BOTH THE BOOK AND SERIES HERE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

AHS Apocalypse, 1984, Double Feature, NYC.

AHS Delicate follows former child star and struggling actress Anna Victoria Alcott (Emma Roberts, Holidate) whose desperation for a baby with her husband Dex (Matt Czuchry) leads to unspeakable dangers and life-changing circumstances for all involved. After struggling to get pregnant for years the pair finally turn to Doctor Hill (Dennis O’Hare), a famed child specialist who helps Anna with the IVF process, kick starting another round of egg insertion after two previous failed attempts. Anna is also riding the success of a surprise film hit with even talks of an Oscar, something her publicist/best friend Siobhan (Kim Kardashian) is desperate to capitalise on.

Now juggling both her acting career and her new pregnancy Anna’s hormones are all over the place and she soon becomes convinced that something is deeply wrong with her pregnancy. After an apparent miscarriage and ‘miracle’ recovery, Anna becomes convinced that some one is after her child and will stop at nothing to get to them. With time running our before she gives birth can Anna survive her pregnancy and win her Oscar to boot or will darker forces at play change everything and make her regret getting pregnant in the first place?

This was the very first season of American Horror Story to be based on an already published book and also the first season to not have Ryan Murphy as writer or showrunner, which I think made for an interesting decision. Whilst I loved the original Delicate Condition novel (more on that later) I’m not entirely sure it was AHS material and I’ve definitely seen a lot of people complaining that this latest season didn’t really fit in with the rest of the show. Like I said with NYC in my review last year it does feel like the show is changing slightly and it seems like Murphy and his company are making stories to fit his already established series rather than following the usual narrative (something I especially noticed in his latest season of Feud). I’m all for new and exciting horror or drama series but I also feel like if you wanted to make a Delicate Condition adaptation it should have been its own miniseries and not just tackled on to the AHS name. Murphy is well known enough to make these stories so I don’t know why he’s attaching them to already running series, I just think in the long run it confuses everybody.

Book wise I absolutely loved Delicate Condition and really enjoyed the mix of witchy vibes and classic thriller feels. The building of tension and Anna’s increasing paranoia was brilliantly done and I loved the constant feeling of unease. The strange occurrences paired with her pregnancy hormones made Anna a real unreliable narrator and Valentine did a great job at sewing these seeds of mistrust and making every single character just that little bit suss. It was such a fun mix of horror, supernatural, thriller and more and it’s definitely a really solid read, for the most part AHS really matched up this energy.

I will say though that AHS Delicate made for a pretty decent book adaptation with very few changes or alterations except for the ending. When I first heard that the book was being adapted under the AHS name I did kind of expect the whole thing to be turned completely inside out and changed in every way possible but the whole thing stays pretty faithful which is probably the reason so many people have struggled. As a direct adaptation AHS Delicate is really great and I’m sure fans of the book have really loved watching, as a season of AHS however the story struggles and compared to previous instalments it doesn’t quite hold up. The horror here isn’t the same kind of scares as Murder House or Freakshow and it’s a lot more subtle in its writing. We don’t focus on haunted houses or killer clowns, it’s more a growing unease and paranoia and so in comparison AHS is always going to seem more vibrant and Delicate Condition a lot more understated.

I think the biggest deviation from book to screen here aside from a few minor character changes was the coven’s motivation and how everything was wrapped up in the end. In the show The Witches were very much evil and using Anna and her baby for their own nefarious purposes, hoping to use the blood to stay young whereas in the book things took a much more positive turn. Siobhan (who had a much smaller role in the book) was actually acting in Anna’s best interest, bringing her baby back from the dead after the miscarriage and trying to protect her from the magical backlash. All of the creepy things and apparent stalkers were in fact forms of protection and in the end we even see Anna join the witches and have Siobhan reincarnate herself back into the baby’s body (it was all a bit strange I will admit). As changes go I did find this one pretty interesting and I kind of like both versions for their own different reasons? Neither were especially good or bad in the grand scheme of the narrative and considering how true the rest of the series stayed to the book I’m not mad at this ending change.

Overall AHS Delicate was a fun watch and definitely great for lovers of the book, it was a really solid adaptation. I will say that the storyline doesn’t 100% fit the usual AHS vibe, which is why so many fans seem to have taken against the season, but for me I had a great time watching and it’s far from my least favourite. Performance wise Emma Roberts and Kim Kardashian were great here and I loved the growing paranoia that really matched up with the original novel. An overall great watch and I can’t wait to see what we get from AHS next!

Fear Street Trilogy, A Review

Three movies. One week. One killer Story.

The Fear Street Trilogy follows Sibling duo Deena (Kiana Madeira, Trinkets) and Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.) as they unwittingly become involved in a centuries long curse when Deena’s girlfriend Sam (Olivia Scott Welch) becomes possessed by local witch legend Sarah Fier (Elizabeth Scopel). The group all live in Shadyside, a town with a infamous string of bad luck that borders the much more positive Sunnyvale, a town which looks upon its neighbours with mass contempt. Everything kicks off after a prank goes wrong between the rival schools and Sam ends up in a car crash, triggering her getting possessed and horde of reanimated serial killers coming back to life to claim her blood.

The town’s unfortunate history brags of a string of ordinary people snapping and turning into killers which is bad luck for our leads because now they all want revenge, targeting Sam whatever the cost. Desperate for answers the siblings turn to ‘C Berman’ (Gillian Jacobs, Life of the Party), a survivor of a similar incident who might be the key to stopping this whole thing. With time running out though can our heroes finally but an end to the Shadyside curse or will they become the latest in a long line of town victims destined to fail and live out their miserable lives?

Part 1 1994 kicked things off for us story wise and I really liked the introduction to Deena, Josh and Sam. The narrative here I think attempted to pay homage to 90s type slashers à la Scream and whilst I did enjoy things for the most part I do think this part was the weakest in capturing its specific time setting. Apart from this though part one was a solid intro and I liked the ensemble cast we got here, Simon (Fred Hechinger, The White Lotus) and Kate’s (Julia Rehwald) deaths hit especially hard and I really loved the final showdown in the superstore, it was a really fun slasher location that you don’t see used all that often.

Part 2 1978 was definitely my favourite of the three instalments and I really loved the summer camp setting and how this one felt the most like your classic slasher. The 70s vibes and Camp Nightwing location really elevated this one and we got some really great kills, Tommy (McCabe Slye) made for a really iconic villain. Character wise I really loved Ziggy (Sadie Sink) and Cindy (Emily Rudd) and once again their deaths hit really hard, Fear Street really had a knack for making you fall in love with its characters only to then kill them off.

Part 3 1666 was definitely the most unique of the three films, not really following any classic slasher tropes and instead doing its own thing and retelling the origins of Sarah Fier through the witch trails lens. I liked how a lot of the previous cast members got recast as 17th century village members, showcasing the ancestry of the town and also allowing us to see our favourite cast members yet again. The storyline was really interesting here and I liked the spin on Sarah’s character, I also liked how this film didn’t focus on your classic murder mystery/slasher tropes and instead showcased the evil within and how the most dangerous person can be the man standing right beside you.

I really enjoyed this trilogy and how the main narrative was spread across the three films, introducing us to our leads and then following them across three different timelines as they attempted to break the town curse. Each film really played around with its genre, playing homage to a vary of different horror/slasher sub-genres such as the classics, summer camp locations and even 17th century witch trials. Across the three films we really explored the darker history of the town and how Shadyside had been predisposed to fail because of the witch’s curse, delving into some really unfortunate character histories. We also met and fell in love with so many amazing characters along the way, losing a few in the process and really getting to know the interpersonal struggles whilst also dealing with pretty scary stuff along the way, it was a lot of fun.

Overall I really enjoyed this three movie instalment and definitely look forward to whatever comes next in the Fear Street universe. I really loved the concept of the trilogy filmed in quick succession (more movie franchises should follow suit) and getting the three different stories that all eventually came together as one. Part two was definitely my favourite but each of the three really brought something different and I loved the various different timelines and characters we met along the way. I have no idea why it took me so long to get to these films but I had such a fun time watching and can definitely see the hype, Fear Street was a bloody good time all around.

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six, A Review

Family getaways can be killer.

Confessions on the 7:45 Review.

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six follows Hannah and her husband Bruce as they head off on a luxury weekend away in the woodland, hoping for a chance to relax and recharge especially after the recent birth of their Daughter Gigi. Also in attendance is Hannah’s Brother ‘Mako’ and his partner Liza as well as their close friend Cricket and her new boyfriend Joshua, totalling six in the cabin. The group have all been close for years but bad weather and growing tensions threaten to upend the weekend and soon enough everybody is at each other’s throats. What’s more there seems to be somebody else lurking at the cabin just out of sight and a bombshell secret years in the making is just about to pop. Can Hannah and her friends make it until morning or will whoever’s waiting in the wilderness get to them first and spill the secret that will change everything?

The titular secluded cabin worked wonders here and I loved the creepy, isolated setting paired with everything that was already going on, it made for such a tense reading experience. Mystery/thriller writers often like to shut off their characters from the safety of the ‘real world’ and here tensions began to bubble over as the storm raged on, secrets spilled and soon enough lives were in massive danger. Unger did a great job at creating this closed off tension and I definitely had a great time reading this one.

The main group had such a wonderful chemistry here and I loved their family connections and deep history with each other and how this then drove the narrative forward. Family itself can be a tricky thing and you can either love or hate the people you happen to share genes with. The initial Christmas prologue already hinted at some family spats but as the book went on and we really got to know these characters it was clear that there was a deep history of cover ups and avoiding the obvious and I did like how Hannah acknowledged her own fault in everything that had happened simply by being passive and not accepting what was really going on.

The whole sperm donor storyline and how this then tied back to the main narrative was really interesting and I loved Henry’s chapters throughout as they followed his life story and later quest to find out where he came from. I loved this concept of needing both biology and chemistry to make a family match work and the explored concept that family is also what you make of it. The donor children and their perceived darkness was also interesting and again I liked this idea of negative traits being passed on through the bloodline.

Overall I enjoyed this one and I liked how it combined some classic thriller elements with the sperm donor storyline and this real exploration of family and chemistry versus biology. The book really nailed the secluded location (hence the title) also then bringing in this second narrative of Henry’s quest for family which I really wasn’t expecting. I loved the continued debate on family and the bonds that tie us together, resulting in both an entertaining and somewhat thought-provoking read.